Carpet-stretcher.



Norvvz eao. I PATENTED 00 1". '25, 1904,

H. VERHEUL.

CARPET VSTRETCHER.

' APPLIOATION FILED NOY IB, 1903.

In) MODEL.

UNITED STATES latented October 25, 1904.

-PATENT OF ICE.

HENRY VERHEUL. OF PELLA, IOWA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF. IO, SIPKE H. VEERSEN, OF PELLA, IOWA.

CARPETA-STIIRETCHER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 772,980, dated October 25, 1904.

Application filed Yovember 18, 1908. Serial No. 181,607- (No model.)

To all whom it may concern: Be it knownthat I, HENRY VERHEUL, aciti- Zen of the United States, residing at Pella, in the county of Marion and State of Iowa, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Carpet-Stretchers, of which the following is a specification.

The objects of my invention are to provide acarpet-stretcher of simple, durable, and inexpensive construction, one portion of which is designed to be placed against one side of.

the room and the opposite portion of which is to engage the carpet, and as the levers which are pivoted to each other are moved downwardly at their central portion the carpet will be stretched.

A further object is to provide a retaining mechanism which is attached to the stretcher and which is designed to hold the carpet in a stretched position, and thus allow the operator to get a new hold and at the same time prevent any loss of time in having to stretch that portion of the carpet which has already been stretched.

A further object is to provide a carpetstretcher which can be used to advantage in a room of any size and with which a carpet can be so adjusted in the room that it will be comparatively easy to drive the tacks, as the portion of the stretcher which is designed to engage the carpet can be some considerable distance from the wall to which the stretched carpet is to be tacked.

A very material object is to provide the retaining means whereby all of the carpet which has been stretched can be retained in a stretched position, and thus save the time of the operator in getting a new hold in stretching that portion of the carpet which has been stretched. Again, this may be verydesirable where the room is an especially long one. When a portion of the 'carpet has been stretched, the operator can place the retaining device upon that portion and then place-a support on the carpet to place the rear end of.

the stretcher against and take a new hold and stretch the carpet throughout the entire length of any room.

A further object is to provide a stretcher be adjusted easily to use in a small or large room.

My invention consists in certain details in the construction, arrangement, and combination of the various parts of the device whereby the objects contemplated are attained, as hereinafter more fully set forth, pointed out in' my claims, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 shows in perspective the complete stretcher. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the'retainin'g device; and Fig. 3 is a longitudinal sectional View of the retaining device cut through that portion of the retaining device which is immediately in front of the retaining-strip, thus showing accurately and fully the retaining-strip in elevation.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, I have used the reference-numeral 10 to indi cate the body portion of the rear arm of my device. Mounted at right angles to the rear of said body portion 10 is the strip 11, designed to be placed against the mop-board of the room in which the carpet is desired to be stretched, and braces 11 are provided for this which is adjustableas to length and which can strip. Adjustably mounted on the sides of said body portion 10 are the metal pieces 12 and 13, said portions having longitudinal slots therein designed to receive the pin 14: and the bolt 15, said bolt 15 having a thumb-screw on one end thereof designed to hold the metal having series of openings 18 therein. Any one of said series of openings 18 is designedto receive the bolt 19, which extends through the metal pieces 12 and 13, so that the device may be made longer or shorter either by adjusting the metal pieces 12 and 13 longitudinally of the body portion 10 or by adjusting the body portion 17 between these metal pieces 12 and 13.

Attached to the forward end of the body portion substantially at right angles to it is the stretcher-bar 20, which is designed to be firmly supported relative to the parts 17 by means of the braces 20. Firmly mounted in the stretcher-bar 20 is a series of hooks 21, which are placed in a straight line longitudinall y of the stretcher-bar 20 and substantially equidistant from each other. The strip 11 is designed to be placed against the mop-board of the room in which the carpet-stretcher is used, and the hooks are designed to enter the carpet in such a way that as the central portionso't' the body portions 1'7 and 10 are moved downwardly the carpet, which has been tacked to the wall on that side of the wall against which the strip 11 is placed, will be stretched between the stretcher-bar 20 and strip 11.

Adjustably and detachably connected with the stretcher-bar 20 by means of the bail 22 is a carpet-retaining device having the body portion 24 therein and having the runner 25 at one end of said body portion and the runner 26 at the opposite end of said body portion. Extending longitudinally of the body portion 24 is the longitudinal slot 27. Extending longitudinally of said longitudinal slot 27 is the retaining'strip 28, said retaining-strip having the lower end portions thereof cut away so that the springs 29 and may be placed between said end portions and the runners 25 and 26.

In practical use the operator adjusts the device as desired for the size of the room which he is going to stretch the carpet for. He then presses the strip 11 against the mopboard of the room after having tacked that portion of the carpet which is to be beneath the strip 11. He then places the hooks in the carpet near the opposite side of the room and presses the body portion 17 .downwardly by grasping it near its central portion. He then presses his foot upon the retaining-strip 28 and forces it downwardly against the carpet which is beneath it and which has already been stretched. He'then can adjust the hooked portion of the stretcher-bar as is desired and obtain a new hold in stretching the carpet, the springs 29 and 30 acting to force the retaining-strip 28 upwardly, except when pressure is brought to bear upon it.

Havingthus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters latent of the United States therefor, is"

1. In adevice of the class described, a body portion, a retaining device detachably connected with said body portion, a retainingstrip attached to said retaining device, and springs in said retaining device designed to normally maintain the retaining-strip at its upper limit of vertical movement.

2. In a device of the class described, a body portion, a retaining device detachably connected with said body portion, a retainingstrip attached to said retaining device and extending longitudinally of it. and springs mounted beneath said retaining-strip designed to support the retaining-strip at its upper limit of movement, and runners on the retaining device.

3. In a device of the class described, the combination of a rear body portion, a strip substantially at right angles to the rear o l the body portion, metal pieces adjustably 1nounted on rear body portion and extending longitudinally of it, a forward body portion pivotally and adjustably attached by the said metal pieces, a stretcher-bar at right angles to the forward body portion, a retaining device detachably secured to said forward body portion, said device comprising a body portion having a longitudinal slot therein, a vertically-niovable retaining-strip within said slot and runners on the under surface of said portion.

HEN RY VERH EU L.

"itnesses:

S. II. VIERSEN, J. RALru Oi-nvie. 

